Zone Of The Dead
by BrutalAftershock
Summary: Five years since Z-day, Japan and the world at large is a very different place. Society has disintegrated into a tribal battleground where people fight for survival. However, in Japan, the land where Loners walk, a rumour surrounding the Fukushima power station spreads like wildfire while Bandits, Clans, Them, and Loners clash and kill in nature's game of survival of the fittest.
1. Chapter 1

**In no way do I own anything in regards to HOTD or any related IPs.**

 **Heavily inspired by the S.T.A.L.K.E.R game franchise.**

Zone Of The Dead

Prologue: The Japan Dead Zone

In the five years that followed after the initial zombie epidemic of 2012 that brought the world to its knees emerged, the world as we know it has changed irreversibly. Every nation across the planet has long since gone silent. The human population of the planet has been brought down to a mere 5% of its former number, all scattered across the world. Of the 350 million people left, a scant 2 million remained in Japan, with the odd million or so dotted around the world, all facing similar plights.

Humanity has reverted to a primal, clan-like way of life. Groups of survivors who had survived the initial outbreak had banded together with other groups to form factions and secure territories. While not entirely negative, some of these factions are solely focused on banditry and their own survival with ruthless cruelty. Entrapment and slavery are common place amongst the bandit factions, as is pillaging smaller factions, capturing men to work them to death, training children to become their next generation of raiders, and women to increase their numbers. The bandit factions are in a constant state of warfare with each other and factions trying to enforce order.

Other factions take it upon themselves to be exterminators of the undead and as military police for small settlements. However, these factions are not without their problems. They have strained relations with the settled survivors who make up the populations of the settlements and the Loners who pass through. The people they protect dislike the strict laws and curfews, as well as the draconian punishments for disobedience, though severe breaches of their laws aren't enacted too often. The Loners who wander Japan on their lonesome are met with distrust, made to holster their weapons at the gate, then watched at gunpoint until they leave.

For most that actively live, fight and operate in the Dead Lands, the majority of open Japan, the undead are now just a part of life. The most seasoned soldiers, bandits and Loners feel no fear of them, seeing them as part of the scenery or an annoyance at most. However, these veterans are rare these days, as many were around from the beginning of the epidemic, and thus have died more than the more cautious, or even cowardly survivors. The majority of these experienced survivors are Loners, with some being faction leaders.

The JSDF had abandoned all notions of saving people three years after the outbreak, and retreated to their bases and holed up in their fortresses. Units of the JSDF patrol Tokyo or now known as The Rot, a massive necropolis of un-life only kept in check by the soldiers at Camp Asaka. Many Loners who have ventured there for supplies, loot, ammunition, and weapons never returned. Too experienced and too smart to fall prey to the undead, many suggest the JSDF remnants or a large bandit faction in the area are responsible for the disappearances.

The Nuclear power plants across the world had gone into meltdown for various reasons. Some due to neglect, some to poor maintenance even before the outbreak, others to natural disasters, and skirmishes between factions. The undead wondering about in these facilities didn't help either, as some would get themselves chewed up by turbines and other machinery, hurrying the degradation of the power stations. Most notably, Fukushima's already tenuous condition made itself known when Loners reported the station melting down in the autumn of 2015, 3 years after the outbreak. A 20 kilometre exclusion zone was unofficially imposed around the Fukushima prefecture by both the Loners and the JSDF. Though it isn't policed, people are warned against entering as the creatures and undead there had later began mutating, the undead more so than the native creatures. However, no one is quite sure how the undead have mutated as no one who has entered the Fukushima exclusion zone have left. Through careful, distanced observation by field agents of the remnants of the Ministry of the Environment, the factions and Loners as well as settlement communities have been made aware of the strange mutations in the Fukushima prefecture, though they stated that more mutations are yet to be seen.

Now only a field of razor wire and land mines separates the Dead Lands of Japan from the irradiated exclusion zone of Fukushima prefecture. A single checkpoint is manned for entry and exit, though Loners or bandits entering is all the checkpoint has seen.

Through ingenuity and a lot of work, the electrical grid that was knocked out several days after the outbreak via EMP was somewhat restored. Isolated areas where settlements and occupied military bases had their power restored by engineers and electricians that had survived. Plumbing and sewage disposal has been limited, but through knowledge of water purification, waste disposal, and germ spread, these same settlements and bases have become fully functioning towns and fortresses, though these small towns only make up several city blocks or a single city block depending on the location and population.

Though they are often given little thought, perhaps how they prefer it, the Loners who roam the Dead Lands have lent helping hands to all factions, as they are not bound by a single morality or goal. They are simply exceptional survivors who go their own way. As such, they have gained a mystique that has people talking in whispers when word arrives a Loner is nearby or passing through a settlement. All Loners are met with different reactions dependant on their actions. Some are met with suspicion, some with outright hostility, others with praise and a free drink. Though one thing remains the same, they are viewed as something greater than everyone else. They defy the odds against them in the Dead Lands, whether it's the undead, the JSDF, bandits, other factions, the weather, even other Loners.

Some Loners have come together over the years and set up rest stops for other Loners in hangars, subway tunnels, car parks, sports stadiums, factories, and bridges. These places are rather safe and rarely have trouble with bandits or invading factions as a group of Loners is seen as something to never tangle with.

Now, winter has settled in, the wasteland of post apocalyptic Japan lies frostbitten and deathly silent, with naught but the groans of the undead and distant gunfire disturbing the low howl of the icy wind.

 _Friday, November 14th, 2017_

 _Akira Masaki_

 _Outer Tokunosu City_

The frigid wind bites at me, waking me from a light, broken sleep. I run my woollen-gloved hands down my face and sigh tiredly, my breath billowing upward as vapour in the cold, still air. I sit up out of my sleeping bag and look down at my wristwatch. The old, dinged watch reads 07:04am. Still dark out. Standing, I move to a makeshift rifle stand of a pool cue stand and a shoe box where my M4 carbine waits to be used. I'd long forgot about putting on the safety and removing the clip. The last thing I wanna do is get killed messing around with decidedly menial things. The only light in the room of the long evacuated apartment is a light bulb hooked up to a car battery. You do what you can I guess.

Empty food tins, military rations and water bottles are piled in the corner just under the broken window, some of them mine, some not. I pick up a large shard of a broken mirror from the surface of the dusty vanity and checked my face. I look like shit. My face is covered in dust and grime, a scraggly beard has consumed the lower half of my face like ivy on a wall. Large, dark bags under my eyes remind me of my almost permanent state of exhaustion, and my bloodshot eyes only compound it. My cheeks are gaunt and my skin has gone pale. Shit, tired and sick. My hair, once short, spiky and fitting for a high-schooler, is now long and messy. Well, when surviving for five years since the world went to shit, you have to look the part I suppose.

Over the past week and a half, my situation has been becoming dire. I'm almost all out of food, I'm rationing my last bottle of water, and I'm out of medicine, which I desperately need. My ammo stocks are alright though. When the shambling bastards that make up most of Japan are blind and rely on their hearing, you tend to be a bit hesitant to go in guns blazing. I had a few spare air filters for my gas mask, a Russian-made PMG gas mask I'd looted from an apartment that had apparently belonged to some kind of foreign collector. Probably one of my best hauls, as I'd found quite a bit of ammunition in there. No clue how he got that past customs, especially since guns were illegal to the public.

I checked my pack, a large woodland patterned rucksack and found everything in order. There are eight 30 round box magazines, all fully loaded, a rudimentary med-kit, five packaged military rations, a water bottle, a torch, a PDA, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and some regular alcohol to take the edge off.

I then check the pockets of my similarly patterned smock. Each pocket is full of various things; empty paracetamol boxes, hair pins, the odd 5.56 round, snack wrappers, a bag of bolts, and rolls of thread. Honestly, besides the bag of bolts I have no idea what some of it was doing in there.

Having taken stock, I'm set to get moving again. I wait another hour, and now dawn has broken. Looking outside, the entirety of the surrounding area is blanketed with snow and thick fog. I see the old tracks of Them and pass it off as nothing. Those rotting bastards are nothing special any more. To your average survivor who's holed up in one of the Bastions will still fear the Shufflers. Nah, the only real danger out here is the living. Carelessness will get you killed by one of the Biters, a human will hunt you down, kill you, and steal your shit with purpose and ruthless planning. Only your survival instinct and smarts will help you survive against another person out here. At this point, we're all killers.

I look down at my boots and question their reliability in the snow. They've served me well, being a pair of sturdy black military-style boots, and not one time have I felt them leak in the three years I've had them. I sneeze, taking myself by surprise. I'm gonna need to get that under control, lest the Shamblers hear me.

Once I got outside, the cold really hit me. Even through my smock, woollen pullover and vest, it still made me shiver. The work pants I wear do a decent job at keeping my legs warm though. As much as I would like to keep my hands as warm as possible, I needed my finger tips free for dexterity. Fucking fingerless gloves. My M4 is at the ready, being held firmly in my hands. The low howl of the wind and the crunching of snow under my boots are the only sounds out here. Even the groans of the Biters isn't there. It's the first time in a while I've been unnerved. I suppose it's only natural since coming back to where it all started for me. Nothing's changed since that day.

The Shufflers myself and others killed that day have gone skeletal, with bits of clothing, both civilian and student, clinging to their bones. Not even the rats and the birds wanted them. Everywhere I went, whether it was Osaka, Okoyama, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagoya, it all felt the same. But coming back to Tokunosu, it scares me.

This city is my childhood home. Well, _was_ my childhood home. Where there were sidewalks full of people going about their business, meeting friends, running businesses, shopping, hanging out, there's now corpses, old blood stains, abandoned cars and derelict buildings. I shake my head to clear my thoughts.

'Come on, you're a 21 year old man not some lost kid, focus!'

I suddenly hear groaning close by. So this place isn't as empty as I thought. It still surprises me how long these things last. Sure are looking worse for ware though. They're definitely going skeletal, and a lot of them can barely walk as the tendons and ligaments in their legs have either started or completely rotted away. Now it's only a matter of time. I took the entrenching tool I looted from the same foreign collector's place from a clip on my hip and held it ready. I let the M4 hang from the makeshift strap around my shoulders and gently made my way towards the source of the groan. I press my back against the wall of a run-down convenience store and heard the groan again from around the corner. It sounds a little too… lively.

I peak around the corner and get a good look. It looks like a woman, fairly tall, long purple hair, and a sword. From the way they're walking, using the wall for support and holding their side, they're wounded. Unfortunately, I sneeze and the woman turns and is on me with frightening speed. Her sword glances just off the bladed edge of my E-tool. Shit, she might be wounded but god damn is she fast! She swings some more, a savage look in her eyes as she keeps trying to murder me. She's off balance, that much I can tell, but she's also clearly a master of her art.

''Dammit woman, stop attacking me!'' I shout, still defending myself with my E-tool.

Clearly she's not listening at all. I can see her left hand is stained crimson with blood, and it's steadily flowing from a bullet wound on her left side. Strange, I didn't hear a gunshot at any point this morning or last night.

''Must...f-find...'' she mutters raggedly, eyeing me the whole time. ''C-can't… mustn't…'' she swings violently again, but she's way off the mark and stumbles, falling past me and to the ground. Her sword clatters and her body lands with a rough thump. She struggles to get up, and shakily lifts herself with her sword.

''Listen to me, stop attacking me and I can help you.'' I say, imploring her to stop. Who am I kidding? I'm barely getting by on my own. I'm sick, I'm low on supplies, and I don't exactly know where I'm going. Putting the E-tool back on its clip, I cautiously stepped closer to the woman and hold my hands up as a sign of peace.

She glares at me fiercely with fiery dark blue eyes and I see her sword hand tighten around the hilt of her sword. She's awfully pale and tired-looking, no doubt from blood loss, but she's undoubtedly beautiful. Actually, she looks kinda familiar to me.

''What… do you want?'' she demands. Her body is still tense, but hey, at least she's stopped swinging that damned katana.

''Look, you're wounded, there are Biters around, and I'm sure there's bandits around here judging by that bullet wound. Besides, you are not at all dressed for this weather.'' I stop for a moment. ''You had to leave in a rush, didn't you.''

She nods, her shoulders becoming slack. ''Ambushed… separated… have to… find...'' she passes out momentarily and hits the wall of the convenience store, though still stays on her feet.

I soften my gaze. She clearly needs help, and I'd rather not have her on my conscience should I leave her here. Between frostbite, Them, and bandits, she's lucky _I_ found her. I walk to her and take off my smock, putting it around her shoulders. I shiver at the sudden loss of a layer as the cold slightly gets through my black pullover. I look around to make sure there's nothing around us, only to find my action in vain as the fog was so dense, visibility was practically zero.

''Come on. If we don't get somewhere sheltered then your chances won't look too good.'' I say as I put her right left arm over my shoulders whilst being mindful of her sword. I'll need to dress her wound soon or she'll bleed out.

''You can walk alright?'' I ask as I help her stand from the wall. She winces and takes and uncertain step and I move in tandem. She nods, giving the go-ahead to start walking. I hold my M4 by the grip and lightly rest my finger on the trigger. It wasn't lost on me just how vulnerable I'd made myself out here, but I wasn't about to let this woman die. I'd built a reputation as a so called 'Loner' for being a neutral, but helpful wanderer of the Dead Lands. I'd helped other survivors, other Loners, some of the more lawful groups, and the occasional bandit, so I wasn't about to abandon someone when I didn't have to.

We get further down the snow-buried street and find that the area is still empty of both life and un-life. It's honestly weird. The only other place so quiet was Osaka, but that was down to the massive purges and quick abandonment of the place. None of Them or people were there when I last passed through. The only evidence of life ever being there was the corpses and the looted shops and homes. Everything else burned.

I keep glancing at her to see if she's still conscious, and she's really not looking good. Between blood loss and the cold, her presumably naturally pale skin is deathly white. Her eyes are glassy and her steps are becoming weaker, being little more than forced shuffles through the snow. I'm desperately looking around now, and spot an arrow spray painted in green, pointing towards a row of houses, each boarded up but with the furthest one away having the door slightly ajar. The door is similarly spray painted with an arrow pointing inward. A recent-looking corpse rests in the snow just beside the door with a large splat of blood and brain matter above them. Bandits?

I look at the woman again, now barely conscious and breathing shallowly. I have to take a chance. Recruiting more of my strength, I march us to the house and briefly examine the corpse before entering. It's a man, recently killed. The snow has barely covered his body and his blood is still fresh, though frozen to the wall. I stop just at the edge of the doorway and listen very closely. I wait, and wait, and wait. Nothing. Lightly kicking the door open, I peek around the corner and see a dully lit hallway, with the rest of the house being very dark. I take a breath and take us inside, closing the door behind us. Using the dim sunlight, bathing the hall in grey light, I sit the woman against the wall and take off my rucksack to search through it.

I dig out my torch, a solid aluminium construction, and switch it on, running a careful sweep of the place as I walk from the hallway and into the lounge. The place is in a bad state as debris and decay have overrun the room. The carpet is patchy with squishy beds of mould. Bullet casings, food packets, bottles, and old, bloody bandages litter the floor. The walls are peeling and marked with black mould. A fine layer of dust laminate the upturned table and the smashed television. This place wasn't clean, far from ideal for patching someone up, but it would have to do.

Back to the woman, I had dug out my med-kit and opened it up. Gauze, tweezers, plasters, painkillers, cotton buds and some antiseptic lay inside, as well as a couple of pairs of latex gloves. She seems to be a little more lucid since sitting down, enough that I could get some reaction out of her.

''You good with pain?'' I ask. She nods and takes her hand from the bullet wound.

''Get on with it.'' she says hoarsely. I grunt and carry on, taking the rubbing alcohol out of my bag, uncapping it and upturning it with a cotton bud, then dabbing and wiping the wound. She hisses and bites her bottom lip, but nods to me when I move my eyes to her face.

''How did you even end up like this?'' I ask as I go about my task.

''My group was… ambushed.'' she replies with a wince. ''We got back here recently, having come from Tokyo. Well, barely.'' I look at her inquisitively. Tokyo? Almost no one comes back from there. Aside from that, what were they even doing there? There's nothing there but Biters, bandits, and what's left of the JSDF. Well, except for….

''The only secure route to Fukushima is in Tokyo. You were heading there. Weren't you.'' I state gravely. Many Loners who went to Tokyo never returned, but the JSDF and bandits denied any involvement with the disappearances. Most Loners who went there were way too experienced to get themselves chowed on by some Shufflers. Bar chatter at many of the Loner stops I visited suggested that there was something at Fukushima of incredible value, or directly linked to Z-day.

''Yeah. We barely got out. A couple of us were injured pretty bad, so we came back here where we have a safe house. It was the best option since we know this place.'' she says. She hisses again as I extract a dented 9mm round.

''Hmm. Hit your rib. You're lucky, you'd have bleed out a lot faster if that had passed all the way through. If it were a hollow point you'd have been dead long before I found you.'' I said idly as I toss the bullet away. ''This where it all started for you?''

She nods. ''Pretty much. I was a third year when it happened. At the time I was the president of the Kendo club at Fujimi Academy.'' I chuckle and get a strange look from her. I swear if I was good with names I'd remember it. She looks so familiar to me but I just can't remember who she is.

''So we went to the same school? Wow, small world.'' I say with wide eyes. ''We were probably in the same class. 3-A and captain of the boxing club.'' The woman begins chuckling herself, but quickly stops as her wound causes her pain in doing so.

''No way, Akira Masaki! I'd have never have recognised you. You remember me right?'' she questions, her face pensive. Oh shit. This is awkward. I have no clue what her name is. Honestly back in school I was probably just focused on boxing and her chest. If I was, I can see why.

''Uhhhhhh...'' I stall dumbly. She merely shakes her head with an amused smile.

''Saeko Busujima.'' she clarifies, much to my embarrassment. I finish dressing her wound and take off my latex gloves, putting my woollen fingerless ones back on.

''Right, sorry about that. I was kinda bad with names even before everything went to shit.'' I say lightly, still embarrassed. My mood suddenly switches as I hear a thump against the door. I look at Saeko, wordlessly telling her to stay put. My hands grip my M4 and I move carefully towards the door and put my back against the adjacent wall. There's a small window on the other side of the door frame. Quickly I duck and step over to it and look out. Dammit, it's only translucent, so the best I'm getting is a silhouette. Oh well, good enough. The thump at the door is human, armed, and tall. So we've been found. By the looks of it, the person has a pump action shotgun going by its profile, so I'm at a disadvantage at such close quarters. Also I don't want to attract any of Them by firing my gun. I've searched far and wide, but I have yet to find a damned silencer. Scopes and sights are no problem though.

''You find something?'' I hear a voice. Fuck, there's more of them.

''Yeah, saw 'em go in here about 20 minutes ago. Some guy and a woman.'' he paused. ''Get that look off your face, we're here to kill 'em and loot 'em, none of you brand of 'fun'.''

''Look, I just wanna fuck something that's actually alive for a change, is that such a problem?'' Ew. Desperate times I guess. ''You try having to set up a heater and leave it for half an hour before it even starts to feel-''

''Shut the fuck up! You make it so hard not shooting you.'' Tell me about it. Okay, the sick fuck gets it first. I move back to Saeko.

''We gotta move.'' I state firmly. She nods and offers her arm whilst grabbing her sword. I take it and sling it over my shoulder to support her while she is still unsteady on her feet. I look for a back door and find it in the kitchen, where it opens up into a small but wide garden. I suddenly hear to two enter as their heavy footsteps on the laminated floor of the hallway reverberate out into the back yard.

Around us is a six foot wall, about as tall as myself. Dammit, Saeko's not climbing that quickly in her condition. Alright, so I'll have to use one of my little strategies for avoiding Them when I fire my gun. It's simple really, since they're solely reliant on sound, you just have to move fast from the last position you made the noise. People figured that out fairly quickly after Z-day, but many didn't. However, it doesn't work nearly as well with hordes since the sheer number of them will cut off your escape unless you're really lucky, resourceful, or can climb like a god damned spider monkey.

I look to Saeko, shivering but trying to keep it together, and then I made my choice. ''Saeko, go as far as you can to the wall behind the door way. I'll join you but stay quiet.'' She nods and moves as I do. She stays standing but presses her back to the wall, while I crouch at an angle to the doorway. I fumble in my pocket of a moment and pull out a large bolt with the nut still attached, and throw it. It bounces off of the door frame and into the house, rolling to a stop near the door way. My moment arrives.

Aiming down the iron sights of my rifle, one of the men's heads comes briefly into view, just far enough out and just long enough for me to take the shot. I pull the trigger and his head from one temple to the other explodes in a thick spray of blood and brains, the contents of his skull splashing the door frame and floor with a wet, meaty slap. He slumps forward bonelessly initially face-planting the snowy ground with his ass in the air, then his body falls to one side with a muffled thud. Stupid bastard, who picks up a bolt when it was clearly thrown from the direction of someone who's trying to kill you?

I make a note to loot his corpse of his clothing as it is thick and suited for the cold conditions. I feel like Saeko won't like it, but she strikes me as pragmatic and willing to endure discomfort for the sake of survival. I wait for the other one, but it's silent in the house. Where is he? I swear he entered at the same time as his dead friend. I've experienced this before. When someone is smart in a situation like this, they could be doing any number of things. If I'm correct, then his 'friend' was little more than a meat shield, and now he's fully aware of his prey being both armed and dangerous. To say I didn't expect something like this to happen when entering the house, that would be a lie. I've fallen obliviously into traps like this before, but this was a calculated risk. Just then, beyond the wall, I hear Them start to groan hungrily with their fetid vocal cords. Shit, shit, shit! Now my only way back out is through the house. I need to finish this quickly.

Just then, I hear a shotgun blast, and another. Oh no. I peek inside to see the man with the shotgun wrestling with a Biter, using his shotgun as a barrier between him and it. However, I have no idea how he could have been taken by surprise. There were none when I checked, unless… unless they were upstairs, somewhere I'd forgotten to check. I don't hesitate and act swiftly. I let my M4 hang and pull up my E-tool and the bladed shovel head folds out with a metallic snap. I rush in and mercilessly smash the tool against the bandit's head with a bony crack filling my ears as he drops to the floor convulsing and haemorrhaging. The Biter goes for me and I turn swinging, taking it's lower jaw off of its brittle joints. When it doesn't go down, I swing again, backhanding the swing and spitting it's skull, splashing the stairs with blackened ichor. It went down and stayed down, sprawled stiffly at the foot of the stairs.

I'm panting, but victorious. Quickly I scavenge what I can from the bandit; an H&K USP with 60 rounds of .40S&W, a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, and a bottle of Sake. The USP is a nice replacement for my old side arm that I had to trade. Cigarettes are a rare and expensive item nowadays, so they fetch a nice price in most settlements. However, his clothes would be far too big for Saeko as this guy was both taller and wider than me, around 6'4 easily. I go back to the first one I killed, finding his clothes were more suited to Saeko's build. I look around the corner and find her still dithering and nod to her.

''They're dealt with but the other-'' I'm cut off as I'm tackled from behind. Fuck, the big guy had been bitten! I desperately try to clamber to my feet, twisting my body to face him. He rears his head back and goes to bite down of my shin, but I quickly kick him in the jaw and go to stomping on his face. He leaps up and forces his full weight on me as blood and drool wet my cheek while I hold him at bay.

I quiet but piercing whistle cuts through the air and the Bandit Biter ceases all movement. His head slides from his neck and his forehead strikes mine. Both repulsed and in pain, I make a noise between a grunt and a squeal. I look up and see Saeko with a small grin on her face, all shivering gone from her body.

''Not quiet the victory cry I was expecting, but I won't tell anyone.'' she teases mockingly. I level a glare at her and stand, wiping Shuffler drool off of my face.

''Just grab your fucking clothes.'' I order flatly as I point at the smaller bandit's corpse. She merely laughs and goes about looting him. I look at the corpses and think, not for the first time, that these two were normal people once, in a different world to the one we live in today. I sigh.

'Such is life in The Zone.'

 **Hey guys! Now after playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R Lost Alpha, I figured that something like that and HOTD would actually work quite well if done in a certain way. So here's this. I don't really have much to say about this one. Well anyway, I'll update at some point, but I feel like I'll actually enjoy writing this one.**

 **Remember to REVIEW, FAV, FOLLOW and all that good stuff. Later.**


	2. Dead Winter

Zone Of The Dead

Chapter 1: Dead Winter

Thanks to the icy climate and the natural decay of the Biters slowing them down, Saeko and I manage to escape from that house. It's clear to me now that it is a trap set up by bandits. Seems to me like the poor guy we found outside was trying to escape or was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Saeko has taken the smaller bandit's clothes, replacing her almost scrap-like attire with a maroon leather and fleece bomber jacket, and a pair of thick black jeans that hug her legs, though she keeps her black boots with the added black shin guards. She finishes putting on her fingerless leather gloves she wore before and looks to me.

"That's much better." She says with a sigh of relief. "So, where to?" She asks, a somewhat coy tone in her voice. I raise an eyebrow.

"Ah, so we've just kinda agreed to stick together? That was fast." I chuckle. However, Saeko's expression remains serious.

"Let's face it, it's mutually beneficial to our survival. I'm injured, but I know this place like the back of my hand and can still fight to some degree." I can't exactly disagree with that. "And you, you don't seem to be doing too hot either. Your supplies are low, you're sick, and I'd be willing to bet your memory of this place isn't that great." She surmises.

"How did you-" my suspicious question is cut off. She merely smirks and turns away from me, eager to get moving.

"I looked through your gear while you were at the door. Also your face says a lot. You're sick, flu most likely." Damn. She's good. "It helps to know what a potential companion can bring to the table. You've got firepower in abundance, but right now that's all you've got."

I smile slightly. I guess I can put away being a Loner for now. "Alright then, looks like we're relying on each other for a while. I'll help you find who you're looking for, you just watch my back, 'kay?" I stretch out my hand to her and she does the same, gripping my hand firmly. We shake, in honour of our new found camaraderie.

Focusing on my own objective, I tell Saeko that since I'm sick, I need to find a pharmacy or hospital to look for medication. It'll pass with time, sure, but I need to keep my symptoms controlled. I'm lucky that my sneeze attracted an ally, otherwise things could have gotten bad real quick.

''There's a hospital across the bridge. Maybe there's some stuff in there that hasn't been looted?" Saeko suggests. That's a possibility, but following Z-day, a lot of places became impromptu fortresses and had swapped hands over the years. Now I'm sure only bandits could be in there. Might as well look though, what's the worst that could happen?

"Well, seeing as most large buildings outside of the Bastions are filled with bandits or are picking grounds for Loners, we shouldn't get our hopes up. Either that or they're just a hive for Biters." I reply. Saeko looks at me questioningly.

"I guess you've been out here a while." She says.

"Since all this started pretty much. Kept moving and never looked back. My group, well... we..." fuck, I've said too much. Good memories of my friends, the ones I'd survived with for three years, bring a smile to my face as much as they sadden me.

"I see. Whatever the case, they can leave this madness behind, and leave it to the living to survive for them." Saeko says, surprising me a great deal. "If that is your reason for going alone, then it's not too hard to see why. I'm lucky my friends have survived thus far. I fear for them every day."

"Yeah." I say with a sigh, my want for conversation quickly subsiding. We soon reach the bridge and time has seemingly frozen here. When Z-day struck, the bridges around the city were all sectioned off by the police and riot control vehicles. They were there for days, and within hours of the epidemic hitting, the police were killing protesters who were trying to get passage to the other side for themselves and others. A noble goal, sure, but naive.

The vehicles are still there, sun bleached paint, old bloody hand prints and rust make up their exteriors now. The skeletal remains of protesters and Them still litter the bridge. Saeko and I exchange a look though our thoughts and feelings on this appear different.

"I remember seeing this that day. We'd holed up in a high rise apartment that belonged to a friend of the school nurse. On the way there, we saw all of this. Saw it on the news when the killing started." She says, recounting the disturbing scenes from Z-day.

I'd seen it too. After I'd escaped the academy with my team, we were on the bridge watching everything happen. We knew it was pointless trying to get across, so we made our own way across in the following days. I remember seeing the lead protester get his brains blown out by the police chief. .357 snub to the forehead.

"I was on this bridge. Saw it all go down first hand. Just about got off of it alive. Z-day was insane. Really saw the worst of humanity that day." I say with a shake of my head. You see some crazy shit from time to time, but Z-day was just something else entirely.

As we cross the bridge, we look over the railing and see the frozen water below. Corpses are both on and under the ice. We reach a section of the bridge where the railing is missing, and bloodstains, both fresh and old, painted the concrete slabs.

"What is this?" Saeko questions. I look from the bloody slabs to her. She looks completely undisturbed. I begin to wonder what kind of things she's  
seen in the past half decade.

"Looking at the blood and the corpses below, I'd say it's an execution ground." I reply grimly. I've seen this kind of thing before. The burning of Osaka. Countless people were burned to cinders by a group of bandits calling themselves 'The Light'. Bunch of crazy zealots that emerged, believing themselves to be some kind of chosen people for staying human. They were burning other people, claiming they were tainted by Them. On the bright side, they were wiped out by myself and a group of Loners who got sick of their shit.

By the end of it, most of Osaka was burned out, and 300 pyromaniacs were dead and 42 Loners were responsible for it. People ask us, "How did you do it?", and to that there's a simple answer. There are several differences between Loners and most other people. This is our calling. It's innate in certain people to survive just about anything and overcome massive odds. That's why there's so few Loners. Survival and killer instincts are our greatest strengths. I learned this about myself on day one. Out of 2 million, there's probably only about 1000 Loners.

"Bandits?" Saeko asks, though she seems as if she already knows the answer.

"Most likely. Bodies don't just appear, especially like that." I reply pointing over the edge. "Eyes peeled and ears open. I don't think we're alone out here." I hold my gun at the ready, primed to raise it and fire at whatever or whoever is out here.

Both of us are on edge. Where the bridge ends, where we stand, it acts as a choke point of sorts. There are buildings on either side of us, and there is little cover should we need it. Anyone could fire down on us from the windows either side of us.

For several long, deathly quiet minutes, we walk close together, eyes scanning every inch of the road ahead with weapons at the ready. The sense of unease I feel is good. I remind myself of this often. If you feel at ease anywhere outside, you let your guard down. Once your guard's down, you're a walking target.

"You see anything?" Saeko asks.

"If I did you'd know." I reply, my voice is tense. I can barely see 10 feet ahead because of the fog and snow. However, I like to think that whoever is out here has the same problem. It's just a matter of who's the better killer.

My body seizes up for a split second when I hear gunfire in the distance. Saeko's boots clack loudly against the frozen tarmac as she jolts to a halt.

"I think finding cover would be a good idea." Saeko suggests. I look at her, then at the direction of the shots. I nod, licking my dry lips in a nervous reflex. Those shots sounded close.

"Yeah. Yeah alright, through the alley. I'll take point." I move up to entrance of the alleyway, a wall of thick grey with zero visibility. This was not a good idea, but better than nothing.

As we had been doing, we carefully navigate the tight confines of the alley. The ground is littered with old trash, some wood and metal refuse that we both nearly trip over with it being covered by snow. Predictably, we found some decayed bodies scattered throughout the passage.

We emerge on the other side of a block of houses without encountering anything, though that still does little to set us at ease. The fog is a little clearer here, but the distance I can see is still limited to only about 20 feet.

I check once more behind me and see Saeko is still there. She's looking a little worse off than earlier. Her breathing looks laboured and her skin looks clammy.

"You alright?" I ask. She casts me a glance and looks into the fog.

"A little shaky. Seems the blood loss is getting to me." She answered.

"When did you last eat?" She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Yesterday evening I think."

"Hmm." I grunt. Things are slowly taking a bad turn. It seems we're just getting more and more things to find. I have no food. In fact, the reason I'm out here in the first place is to get to the Tokunosu waypoint. They host food caravans and provide rest stops for travellers.

"What do you want to do? Hospital or waypoint?" I ask.

"We were on our way to the waypoint yesterday before we were attacked." she replied. "The Hospital is between the waypoint and us, so we can pass through there first."

I nod and turn from her. I rub a gloved hand through my beard before taking hold of gun, carefully wrapping my finger around the trigger. Something doesn't feel right.

I can see the hospital. It's large enough and made of enough remaining glass that I can see it's darkened innards through the wall of snow.

I quickly scan the path ahead for the undead and see none. I see several freshly killed Biters though. I walk over to one, raise my gun and crouch next to one of them. A cursory glance shows me the Biter is missing a good chunk of its head. It's rotted brain is spattered against the snow in chunky grey-black streaks.

It is a common and strongly upheld rule that one does not needlessly fire their weapons at the undead. It attracts the horde. Ammo is scarce, firearms maintenance is a skill known by few, so ammo conservation and weapon silence are very, very good practice.

So I find it odd that someone is taking potshots at the Biters. I have no time to think further as a bullet whizzes past my face, my body instinctively sends me rolling to the side. I barely notice the snow as the cold bites at me.

"Saeko! Shots up high, get inside!" I shout. She ducks down behind the rusted husk of a car clutching her sword. She looks at me as I press my back against the bricks of a small incline in the wall of the former office building that flanked the hospital.

"What about you?" She asks, reflexively ducking her head lower as a bullet glances off of the roof of the car.

I peaked around the corner of the wall and couldn't see where the bullet had come from save from above. Whoever was up there could see us, but we couldn't see them. The only building ahead of us is the hospital.

"I'll return fire. If I can figure out where we're being fired on from, I can cover you while you find a way inside." I reply as I run a routine check on my weapon. I cannot risk a jam or misfire. Not now.

"I think I remember a way in through the back." She says.

I nod and bring my rifle to rest across my chest, finger on the trigger. The silence suddenly returns. Only the low howl of the frigid wind fills the silent cityscape. I suck in a breath and peak out with the barrel of my rifle leading the way.

"I'll find a way in. Meet me in the lobby if you can. If not, then the roof stairwell. Then we can find the shooter and deal with them." I say. Saeko nods and makes a dash for a totalled truck. I make a quick estimation of the shooters spot and fire a round. My shot is met with a response as a bullet carves a path along the brick next to my head and brick dust sprays my face. I blink out whatever got in my eyes.

I have a rough idea where they are now. They're definitely on the roof, most likely at the left hand corner. Wide range of vision and an easy position to fire from.

I fire back once more and move, diving to cover behind the car Saeko had moments ago. The cracks of their weapon firing is thunderous. Whatever they're carrying, it's high calibre.

I quietly wait. I know I can't stay idle for long as Saeko needs covering fire. I peek through a small portion of the window frame of the car. The light coming through the fog and clouds is intense, more so than earlier. I look down at my wrist and check my watch. It's a little after midday.

It's going to be difficult if I keep getting blinded trying to look up. I continue with my strategy of firing in the rough direction of the shooter.

I peak out. Saeko has not moved and is looking at me. I find it odd that no shots come when I peak out. I cast a look at Saeko and signal to move up. There are three cars between us and the hospital, but I don't know where Saeko intends to enter.

She steps out crouched and almost immediately a bullet strikes the road next to her. She dives for cover and lets out a hiss of pain as she lands on her wound.

I return another single shot. I hear a loud curse from above. I must have hit him somewhere. Injury provides distraction, and so without hesitation, I run to Saeko and help her up. Together we run to the wall of the hospital.

"You alright?" I ask as I quickly checked her over, mainly focused on where her wound was.

"Yeah, yeah, just landed funny is all." She says though clenched teeth.

"You gonna be alright on your own?" She shoots me a scowl.

"Doubting me already?" She bites.

I scoff. "Don't be stupid. Is your injury going to be an obstacle?"

"No. I'll stay silent and move slow if I need to. You going through the main entrance?" She questioned. I nod.

A shot rang out and the bricks next to my head exploded into clouds of white dust. I push Saeko away and she hits the ground, riding the push. I crouch down and level my rifle in the direction of the shots.

"Go. Now." I order without looking at her. I hear her quickly move away. I assume she has gone to enter through the back.

Now things were definitely taking a bad turn. I knew there were bandits in the area, and I knew from the bodies I saw earlier that something was going on. I ran in a crouch in the opposite direction to Saeko. While I have time, I stand and sprint by the wall and around the corner. I am met with the main entrance not too far away as I can make out the shapes of the columns supporting the concrete canopy above the doors of broken glass.

More lead streaks past me and I stop briefly behind a column to catch my breath. As several more bullets ping and zip around me, glancing off of the column and impacting the wall in front of me, I look into the dark maw of the hospital. I make a dash for the entrance and the fog clears quickly inside and I see a reception desk, and dive over it, pressing myself to the floor.

I wait for several long, thudding heartbeats. I rise to one knee and raise my rifle. Looking out, I can't see whoever was shooting at me, but I know they're still there, likely heading my way. I look over my shoulder and into the dark entrance to the dingy, winding labyrinth beyond. I make a quick check of my ammunition, only taking the back half of the clip from the weapon. I have 24 of 30 rounds left. I take my torch from my bag and my E-tool from my hip, letting my rifle hang from its strap around my torso. I don't want to make noise in here if I can help it. The gunfire would have drawn unwanted attention, and I don't need any more.

Cautiously I step through the threshold of the lobby and into a darkened hallway. The remnants of Z-day are evident as old blood stains the walls, and a skeleton in a nurses uniform lies splayed out against the wall, the midriff of her uniform torn open and edged with aged blood. Each step, slow and measured, sounds like thunder in the tight corridors, and every breath sounds like rushing wind.

My torch is held in front while I keep my E-tool raised, primed to come down to split skulls. I edge close to an open doorway and keep my back pressed to the wall as I carefully crane my neck around the corner. Slowly my eyes scan the passage. It is a long corridor with many doors on each side. A wary gulp is followed by a quiet sucking of air. I am glad that in the five years that I have been doing things like this, my nerves still fire a mile-a-minute. They served as a reminder that my guard was still up. Your guard goes down, you become complacent. You become complacent, you become vulnerable. You become vulnerable, you die.

As I step into the corridor, I turn off my torch when it is facing the far end, only turning it back on to check the rooms to my immediate flanks as I make my way through. Halfway through the corridor and I have encountered nothing. That in itself is a relief.

The floor, I have noticed, is littered with papers and glass. Nail marks line some of the doors, but whether desperate humans made them in efforts to find sanctuary or ravenous undead made them is unclear. I carry on forward having not seen anything moving, alive or otherwise. I nervously lick my lips as I check the next doorway to my left. Nothing. I turn to my right and turn on the torch once more.

My body seizes up. Every muscle locks, my eyes widen, a surge of adrenaline rushes through my abdomen. It takes every ounce of self control not to yell or move too quickly. The torchlight illuminates a withered, inhuman thing. It is what's left of a woman, a nurse judging by her uniform. Her blind, milky white eyes stare through me. Her skin is as pale as the snow outside and paper thin as her blackened veins run spiderwebs across her body. Her scalp is a patchwork of bald spots and loose patches of black hair.

We stare at each other unblinking for what seems like hours. I'd never been so close to one for so long. I'd never gotten even so much as a true close look at one. My long half decade of survival had seen me kill them by the score, never once caring for how they look. But this one had completely taken me by surprise. Clearly she hadn't heard my approach, hence why she only stares as if I weren't here at all. She was once clearly human, with goals and aspirations. Perhaps a boyfriend and a family. All of them were at one point. It's so easy to forget. It won't stop me from killing them when I have to, but this line of thought crosses my mind every so often.

I don't dare risk moving too quickly. Using one of the bolts in my pockets is a bad idea. All of that noise from shuffling my fingers through the bolts will have her on me in a shot. Her position in the doorway is too awkward for me to swing at her, as I'm far more likely to hit the door frame.

I'm left with no choice but to risk actually touching her. I turn off my torch and slowly slide it into my trouser pocket. Readying my self, I feel the blood rush from my guts and into my muscles. It's the sick feeling you get before a fight. It's a good feeling once you understand it. With the torch off, the only light is the dead grey light streaming in from the broken windows in the adjacent rooms that bleeds into the corridor.

Reaching my left arm back and setting my self into a low stance, I lunge forward and push by hand against her abdomen. Her flesh is weak and it gives under the force of my push and she stumbles back into the room with me still pushing her.

Her fetid vocal cords release a choked hiss as she swings her groping arms and blindly bites at me. I shove her against the wall and quickly swing my right arm back and smash the E-tool across her face with crushing force. The old, stagnant life blood of the Biter splats against the wall and carpeted floor.

It's not enough and she remains standing. She reaches for me with searching fingers that claw at my clothes. I shove her back again and kick her weak-jointed legs out from under her. She clunkily falls with her head hitting the wall and she lies sat against it. Using gravity, I bring the bladed edge of the E-tool down on the top of her skull once. Twice. And again, and again. What remains is an obliterated mass of black pulp and grey-stained bone fragments not fit for the detritus. Some of the scalp, hair and brain clings stickily to the E-tool.

My breath is less ragged than one might expect. I hated these close encounters, but I am not terrified of them. I've seen enough of these things and what they can do to be wary, but time, exposure, and my own experience has made them less of a challenge than a living human. I had long ago calmed the primal fear that comes with fighting them, however as I have found just moments ago, that fear does return sometimes.

In my brief time of rest, my mind wanders. How long had she been here? Had she ever left? Did she kill that nurse I saw when I came in? Were the claw marks hers? Questions for the moment, but not worth answering. I would never know anyway. I need to meet up with Saeko anyway, so there's no time to waste here.

I leave the room and forget about checking the last few rooms. If there were any Biters in them, they'd have heard me killing the nurse. There's a fire door to my left at the end of the corridor with a set of stairs on the other side. I turn the torch back on and make my way up to the fifth floor.

''Akira.'' I hear Saeko say. I see her sat patiently on the staircase leading up to the door to the roof.

''You get up here okay?'' I ask.

''No trouble at all. Mostly just stayed quiet and moved slow like I said. You?'' I show her the E-tool.

''Had a little run in with one of the locals.'' I leave out the detail of her scaring the shit out of me though.

''I peaked under the door. This is definitely the roof.'' Saeko says gesturing to the door behind her. The sniper was beyond there. Once we killed him, we would need to fight our way back out. I have a feeling that the other ones shooting at us are with him. Bandits most likely.

''Alright, I'll go first. Be ready for close combat.'' I say, getting a nod in reply. Saeko forms up behind me and I place one hand on the doorknob and raise my rifle with the other. ''3,2,1, opening.'' I twist the knob and push the door open. Immediately I see the body of a gun being swung towards my face. Frantic instinct kicks in and I raise my rifle with both hands to block the blow. The two weapons smash together and my finger depresses on the trigger, involuntarily firing a shot. I recover and smack to butt of my rifle into the man's chest. Just like me, his rifle is suspended by a strap around his torso, and I make a grab for it before he does. Our hands clamber across the weapon as we struggle over it. He's a burly man, heavy and strong, and he pulls it from my grip.

Saeko is quickly with me and she shows no hesitation as she unsheathes her blade in a single graceful motion. The brilliantly polished and maintained weapon comes up as she rushes past me. He blocks the first strike with the broad side of his gun, a gash appearing in the light metal. He stumbles back closer to the raised edge of the rooftop. She swings again, this time aiming for his fingers. The horizontal swing claims its prize as his fingers fly free from the first knuckle of each digit.

The scream he lets out is piercing and beast-like. I make a grab for the gun again as I am determined to make my own use of it. Such a thing will prove invaluable in the predominantly urban skirmishes I find myself in. With my hands on the rifle, I shove him and chance a hook to his face. My gloved fist connects, knocking him back further. When he is close enough to the edge, I thrust his rifle into his face and kick him in the stomach.

His upper body topples against the raised edge of the roof, but he doesn't fall. He struggles to stand, but I release his rifle and hit him with the butt of my own again. As his head is flung back, I grab his legs, lift them and finally tip him over the edge, only just managing to grab the rifle as he fell. The strap is broken, but the rifle is mine now. The brief scream is followed by the slap of caving bone and splitting flesh on concrete.

Habitually, and out of a sense of morbid curiosity, I look over, but see nothing through the dense fog.

''No stranger to killing, are you?'' Saeko asks, but I sense that what she says is not quite a question. I regard her for a moment.

''No.'' I inspected the rifle for damage, only finding that the damage was only superficial. I was surprised to see it was an M24 sniper rifle. Standard sniper rifles of the JSDF. It is a sleek, matte black weapon that is quite pleasing to the eye. I scan the rooftop and find the spot where the sniper had been. Walking over, I found a stool, a backpack, several empty boxes of .308 rounds, and a silencer.

''Anyone coming up after us, Saeko?'' I call as I look through the bandits backpack.

''Can't hear anything coming up after us.'' she replies as she watches the stairs. I find a couple more boxes of .308 rounds, bandages, a bottle of sake, and food. Ah, something useful. I take the food out and see it's a clear Tupperware box filled with grilled mackerel and rice. Not much, but it should help her.

''Saeko, you might like this.'' I say and wave the box at her. She hurries over with a visible look of relief. She takes it, and begins eating with little in the way of grace. In her blissful distraction, I cast her a smile before bagging the other items, let my M4 hang and took the M24 in my hands. While she eats, I take a moment to rest while I can. The quiet up here isn't so bad in all honestly. The gunfire will start again and the bullets will fly, but for now, we have some hope of seeing another day.

I know there's no medicine here. Why would there be? Half a decade is a long time for a hospital to sit unguarded, and even then, most common medicines expire within two years. I can wait. We'll make it to the Tokunosu waypoint and then I can look for something. For now, Saeko is patched up, she is happily eating, and we're alive. That's enough for me right now. I'll take her to the waypoint, and leave her there. I'm sure her friends will find their way there themselves. Hell, maybe they're already there. She doesn't need me. I'm a Loner, and that's how things should be.

''I'm done now. Thank you.'' Saeko says gratefully. I give a single chuckle and turn to face her.

''Ready to go?'' she nods.

''I'm feeling better now. Still a bit sluggish, but you should be able to count on me now. I can pull my weight.'' she replies dutifully.

''Didn't say you couldn't. Let's go.''

 **Alright, well that took a while to update. Sorry. Anyway, I'm back into my post apocalypse/S.T.A.L.K.E.R phase again. Hopefully I should update relatively soon. Follow, fav, review, tell me what you think. BrutalAftershock, out.**


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